The present invention relates to an AC plasma display device used for a television receiver, an advertising display panel, and other image displays.
FIG. 9 illustrates a main structure of a conventional AC plasma display device. In the figure, a scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5 form a pair, which refers simply to display electrode, in a stripe shape. A plurality of the pairs is arranged in parallel on front substrate 1 and covered by dielectric layer 2 and protect film 3. Light shielding layer 6 is located between adjacent display electrodes (pairs of scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5). Scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5 are composed of transparent electrodes 4a and 5a and bus lines 4b and 5b respectively. The bus lines are made of silver and the like, and are stick to and electrically connected to the transparent electrodes respectively.
A plurality of data electrodes 9 covered by insulating layer 8 is arranged on rear substrate 7. A plurality of partitions 10 is on insulating layer 8. Each one of partitions 10 is located in parallel with and between adjacent data electrodes 9. Phosphor 11 is coated on side partitions 10a and a surface of insulating layer 8 which are between partitions 10 adjacent to data electrode 9.
Rear substrate 7 and front substrate 1 are placed facing to each other so that data electrodes 9 and the display electrodes extend in an perpendicular direction to each other, and define discharge spaces 12, where the display electrode include scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5. Discharge spaces 12 enclose helium, neon, argon, and xenon or a mixture of some of them as an ionizable gas.
In short, in a panel designed like this, the display electrode composed of scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5 and data electrode 9 are arranged to form an intersection region between themselves, and the intersection region corresponds to one discharge cell.
Next, an operation of the display panel mentioned above is described.
First, FIG. 10 shows that arrays of electrodes of this display panel form a matrix structure of discharge cells with M lines and N rows, and the M lines have scan electrodes SCN1 through SCNM and sustain electrodes SUS1 through SUSM in the line direction, the N rows have data electrodes D1 through DN in the row direction. FIG. 11 shows a timing chart illustrating a driving method of this AC plasma display panel
FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the following. In a write period, after all sustain electrodes SUS1 through SUSM are held at 0 volts, a positive write pulse voltage +Vw volts is applied to specified data electrodes of D1 through DN corresponding to desired discharge cells for display in the first line, and a negative scan pulse xe2x88x92Vs volts is applied to the first line scan electrode SCN1. This causes write discharges at intersection regions between the specified data electrodes and the first line scan electrode SCN1.
Next, a positive write pulse voltage +Vw volts is applied to specified data electrodes of D1 through DN corresponding to desired discharge cells for display in the second line, and a negative scan pulse xe2x88x92Vs volts is applied to the second line scan electrode SCN2. This causes write discharges at intersection regions between the specified data electrodes and the second line scan electrode SCN2.
Similar operations described above are successively performed. Finally, a positive write pulse voltage +Vs volts is applied to specified data electrodes of D1 through DN corresponding to desired discharge cells for display in the Mth line, and a negative scan pulse xe2x88x92Vs is applied to the Mth line scan electrode SCNM. This causes write discharges at intersection regions between the specified data electrodes and the Mth line scan electrode SCNM.
In a sustain period, all scan electrodes SCN1 through SCNM are held at 0 volts, and a negative sustain pulse voltage xe2x88x92Vm volts is applied to all sustain electrodes SUS1 through SUSM. This causes sustain discharges between scan electrodes SCN1 through SCNM and sustain electrodes SUS1 through SUSM at the intersections where the write discharges are caused in the previous write period.
Next, negative sustain pulse voltage xe2x88x92Vm volts is applied to all scan electrodes SCN1 through SCNM and all sustain electrodes SUS1 through SUSM alternately. This causes the sustain discharges at desired discharge cells for display to be maintained continuously. These light emissions from the sustain discharges produce a panel display.
In a next erase period, all scan electrodes SCN1 through SCNM are held once at 0 volts. Then an erase pulse voltage xe2x88x92Ve volts is applied to all sustain electrodes SUS1 through SUSM. This causes erase discharges to stop the sustain discharges. The above-described operation displays a frame of AC plasma display panel.
Here, explained is a stability and a luminous intensity of the sustain discharge in the above-description.
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on line XIIxe2x80x94XII of FIG. 9. FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken on line XIIIxe2x80x94XIII of FIG. 9. FIG. 12 and 13 show a dimensional relationship between scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5 and a state of a sustain discharge in case of scan electrode SCNi and sustain electrode SUSi in an i line; and scan electrode SCNi+1 and sustain electrode SUSi+1 in an i+1 line.
A sustain discharge described by a solid line double-headed arrow in FIG. 12 is a discharge between scan electrode SCNi and sustain electrode SUSi in the i the line; or between scan electrode SCNi+1 and sustain electrode SUSi+1 in the i+1 the line, namely scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5 in the same line. Therefore, electrode gaps G may be narrow. A discharge between sustain electrode SUSi+1 and scan electrode SUSi described by a dotted line double-headed arrow in FIG. 12 is false discharge Y which is undesired sustain discharge. Therefore, the distance D between electrodes of sustain electrode SUSi+1 and scan electrode SCNi is kept wide enough so as for error discharge not to occur.
Scan electrode 4 and sustain electrode 5 comprise transparent electrodes 4a, 5a and bus lines 4b, 5b made of silver and the like respectively. Therefore, bus lines 4b, 5b are opaque. As a result, luminous intensity lowers at the position of bus lines 4b, 5b as FIG. 14 shows a luminous intensity distribution characteristics. To prevent this lowering of the intensity, reducing electric resistance of bus lines 4b, 5b is kept as low as possible and the bus lines"" width is made to be narrow. This prevents a lowering of the intensity resulting from the bus lines"" width.
However, in the conventional panel design described above, a distance D between electrodes of sustain electrode SUSi+1 and scan electrode SCNi decreases inevitability as shown in FIG. 15, if the line number M increases to realize high definition. Accordingly, when the line number M increases and exceeds a specific value, a error discharge described by a dotted line double-headed arrow occurs between sustain electrode SUSi and scan electrode SCNi+1. Then the display panel device may not form the display normally.
Furthermore, realizing the high definition makes a ratio of area of bus lines 4b, 5b to an area of transparent electrodes 4a, 5a be increased for bus lines 4b, 5b to get adhesion to transparent electrodes 4a, 5a. As a result, the luminous intensity distribution characteristics lowers at the position of bus lines 4b, 5b 
The present invention provides a high display quality and high definition display panel device which does not have a error discharge and improves luminous intensity, even if a high definition display requires a structure of display electrodes to decrease a distance between the electrodes.
To realize the improvement mentioned above, an AC plasma display device of the present invention comprises:
(a) a transparent front substrate which has a plurality of display electrode rows having a non-display portion between the display electrode rows:
(b) a rear substrate which has an array of data electrodes in an orthogonal direction to the display electrodes and is arranged facing to the front substrate so as to define a discharge space between the rear substrate itself and the front substrate;
(c) a belt shaped partition which is placed so as to divide the discharge space between the rear substrate itself and the front substrate into divided discharge spaces corresponding to the data electrodes on the rear substrate and to define gaps of the divided discharge spaces; and
(d) a barrier which is placed between the partitions on the rear substrate, has a width corresponding to the non-display portion at a position facing the non-display portion on the front substrate, forms a gap between itself and the front substrate, and is able to prevent a error discharge between the display electrodes.
This structure allow a distance between a pair of adjacent display electrodes having a non-display portion between the electrodes to be reduced to prevent a error discharge, even if a high definition display requires a structure of display electrodes to decrease a distance between the electrodes.